Temple in Society

Edited by Michael V. Fox

Temple in Society

Edited by Michael V. Fox

This collection of studies had its origin in the Burdick-Vary Symposium of 1986, held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The symposium, sponsored jointly by the Institute for Research in the Humanities and the Hebrew Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focused on the topic of the social role of temples in society. Participants presented the role of the temple in Sumer, Japan, the Far East, the Near East, Europe, and Meso-America. Together they sought to determine whether the temple as an institution was a single such entity, meeting fundamental human needs in similar ways throughout history, or whether the temples of various cultures are similar only in the fact that English uses the same word to refer to them.

Description

Table of Contents

This collection of studies had its origin in the Burdick-Vary Symposium of 1986, held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The symposium, sponsored jointly by the Institute for Research in the Humanities and the Hebrew Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focused on the topic of the social role of temples in society. Participants presented the role of the temple in Sumer, Japan, the Far East, the Near East, Europe, and Meso-America. Together they sought to determine whether the temple as an institution was a single such entity, meeting fundamental human needs in similar ways throughout history, or whether the temples of various cultures are similar only in the fact that English uses the same word to refer to them.

Michael V. Fox: Preface

Samuel Noah Kramer: The Temple in Sumerian Literature

The Eninnu

The Ekur

The E’engurra

The Eanna

Menahem Haran: Temple and Community in Ancient Israel

Houses of God and Priesthood

Synagogue and Prayer

Offerings, Prayer, Prostrations

Conclusion

Walter Burkert: The Meaning and Function of the Temple in Classical Greece

The Idea of a Temple

The Use of Temples in Cult

Temple and Polis System

Conclusion

C. J. Fuller: The Hindu Temple and Indian Society

Architecture and Worship

Brahmanical and non-Brahmanical Temples

Temples and Kings

Kingship, Sacrifices, and Gifts

Local Temples and ‘Little Kings’

Community and Deity Festivals

Conclusion

Gary M. Feinman: Mesoamerican Temples

The Plan of the Temple

Evolution of the Temple

The Temple as Symbol

The Priesthood and the Activities of the Temple

Economics and the Temple

Conclusion

Winston Davis: Temples and Shrines in Japan: Their Social Functions

The Many Functions of Temples and Shrines

The Unifying Function of Temples and Shrines

Temples and Shrines as Sources of Friction and Disunity

Conclusion

David M. Knipe: The Temple in Image and Reality

Spaces, Centers, Passages

Time, Cycles, Histories

Bodies Human

Bodies Social

Traditions and Culture

Models, Meanings, and the Imagination

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